‘Fund only one Zuma wife’

The Eastern Cape ANC wants taxpayers to fund only the first wife of President Jacob Zuma, according to reports on Wednesday.

The Times, quoting its sister newspaper the Daily Dispatch, said the provincial African National Congress wanted this to be discussed at the party's policy conference.

The provincial ANC's economic transformation commission said it supported a proposal that only wife number one, Sizakele Khumalo, gets taxpayer support, but not the other three wives.

“Only wife number one should get benefits from the state. Our understanding is that when (you) a man decides to have more than one wife, you are able to support the others. Then deal with it,” an unnamed delegate was quoted as saying.

This notion was apparently first raised by a member of the ANC's Veterans League.

The proposal will be tabled at the ANC's policy conference in Midrand next week if it is supported at the Eastern Cape executive council meeting on Friday.

Zuma is also married to Bongiwe Ngema, Nompumelelo Ntuli and Thobeka Mabhija. - Sapa